One Ring To
by Kataoi
Summary: "I've never been very good with things on my fingers."


Rory twisted the gold band on his finger absentmindedly as he leaned on the post of the canopy outside the café the Doctor had stationed him and Amy. The alien-man had been distracted by a passing cart, pulled by what he could only assume to be this planet's equivalent of an ox (it had horns and spots but was purple and with a beaver tail).

_"You two have a bite, I'm going to see where this leads!"_

Being randomly dumped and miraculously picked up later was something Rory was far, far used to by this point, which would worry him if he paid more attention to that nagging voice. But to reach that point, he'd have to get over some big ones first – IE, the TARDIS, the time travel, and really, the Doctor himself.

"You having second thoughts?" Amy's voice pried, cutting his absentminded state of being. Rory jerked his head back and knocked it into the post, wincing at the impact and laying a hand on the site, more out of reflex than concern.

"No. No, of course not." He sighed before smiling, to which she smirked and dragged her finger across his chest before prodding at his heart. "It's uh – I've never been very good with things on my fingers."

"So you've never been good with rings. When have you _ever_ worn rings, Rory?"

He opened his mouth, stammered for a second, then gave up. "Okay, so, never, but it's something I'm not used to."

Amy made a fist with her left hand, which simultaneously showed him the band he had proposed to her with and made him take a half step back (into the post again). "I'm in the same boat," she said before casually glancing down at her hand. "Though I do admit, mine is prettier than yours…"

"I don't need something _pretty_…"

"Right, 'cause then I'd have to question." She patted his cheek with a smile that withheld a laugh.

Rory raised his hand up to once again observe the ring adorning his finger before he, too, made a fist and swung it up into the air, closing his eyes and striking a pose in the process.

"…Rory?"

He kept his eyes closed and right hand drawn tight to side, feeling his expression shift to a wince. "…You know, it's weird to punch left-handed. Off-balanced." Rory reverted to his previous pose, hoping nobody around them cared to ask. "Still though…wish something would happen." He looked up at his wife and made circular gestures with his open hands. "I mean come on, we're with an alien, you think something cool would happen!"

"Why, because of some rings?"

"Well, you know." Rory made a fist and held it up in the air, hoping Amy would catch on – which she did after a few seconds, knocking her fist into his, their rings _clink_ing together on impact.

The instant they did that, however, a green disc radiated out, dissipating after a few meters up the air and to the right, where there was open space. It hit the ground and fizzled into spark, but the left was not so lucky, the disc hitting the canopy and burning a straight line through its fabric and halving it.

Rory stared at the canopy, mouth agape, whilst Amy bounced on her feet and grabbed his wrist. "C'mon, maybe nobody saw us!"

"But – light – cutting things - !"

Amy succeeded in getting Rory to cooperate, as the two had managed to sneak away from the café before bolting down the street in the direction the Doctor had followed the purple ox and its cart. It didn't seem to make much of a difference, however, for when they looked behind them, no one was there, and it didn't appear as if they had ever been followed.

"Why do we run even when he's not around?" Rory gasped out, leaning against the wall of some building, its walls made of hard mud. Amy was instead busy looking at her ring, glancing at Rory's intermittently, before nudging his hand.

"We should try it again."

"What, are you _mental_? That – the beam – thing! – it could hurt somebody! Like you!"

"Oh come on, it doesn't have much distance to it." She raised up her fist, trying to give a subtle but encouraging smile. "Just one more time. Pleeeease?"

Rory started at her, his breath pacing itself back to normal, before sighing and nodding. "Okay, just – just one more time."

The two wound up their fists and were about ready to knock the rings together one more time before an awfully familiar voice rang in their ears.

"WAITNODON'TDOTHAT!" The Doctor suddenly lunged into view, cutting between the two and subsequently knocking their arms to the their sides. He stumbled to a landing on his feet before turning on his heel, not accounting for the mud underfoot and slipping on a spot, landing on the ground with a _splork_. His right arm was still in the air, hand grasping the sonic screwdriver tight. He rolled onto one side and, despite his sight hindered by mud, fired off two quick bursts.

It took a moment for anything to happen, but once it did, it was hard to miss. There was a shock of green light from the diamond of Amy's ring, to which she gave a quick scream of surprise. Rory's gold band shot out a few sparks, resulting in him taking a step back before realizing it was attached to his finger.

"What the – that was – Doctor!"

The Doctor spit mud from his lips before collapsing his arm to the ground. "Oh it's uh…it's a story."

"A long story?" Amy asked, unimpressed as she drove off the temptation to step on the Doctor's back.

"No, just a – just a story. You see, uh – you remember Geath, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And you remember when we want back there the second time, yeah?"

"Yeah, you told us not to wear any jewelry 'cause folks there might attack us for it."

"Right. So you see – when you two were imprisoned and I was figuring out a brilliant way of getting you two out, I accidentally zapped your rings with the sonic and uh – well, how was I supposed to know precious stones and metals could hold the charge?"

A visible silence came down on the trio, Rory and Amy giving one another incredulous looks before sighing. Rory reached his hand down and helped the Doctor to his feet, wiping the mud on his jeans. The Time Lord scraped the mud off his face with his hands before shaking them out, straightening his tweed jacket and giving an affirmative nod to his companions.

"Well then, off we go?"

"What, like _that_?" Amy questioned, amused. "I don't even think the purple ox will take you seriously."

"Huh? No – I meant to the TARDIS, so I can change and then things will be all nice and dandy. Rory, you coming?"

Rory was left at his spot, staring at his finger with its shiny occupant, before he jolted back into reality. "Huh? Yeah – coming."

The Doctor chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint. Though if you're interested in green energy manifestations that come in ring form, I'm sure the Green Lantern Corps is hiring."


End file.
